Guideway system



June 7, 1960 o. F. REIFQEIS, JR

GUIDEWAY SYSTEM /ITTOR/Vf) Filed Feb. 10, 1956 June 7, 1960 o. F. REIYFEIS, JR 2,939,563

GUIDEWAY SYSTEM Filed Feb. 10, 1956 2 Sheets-She'et 2 INVENTOR QKWFIFF/idfi P 54/ 1F ATTORNEY 2,939,563 7 Patented June 7, 1960 ice em Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y.,

v a corporation of New York I Filed Feb. 10, 1956, Ser. No. 564,766

1 Claim. (Cl.,193-38) This invention relates to a guideway system, and more particularly to a system for selectively guiding mobile work-holding fixtures along an elongated base plate.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved guideway system for mobile rectangular workholding fixtures.

A further object of the invention resides in a guideway system wherein a uniquely shaped center guide rail functions to positively direct the advance of work-holding fixtures to and through a pair of transfer guideways.

A riveting apparatus illustrating certain features of the invention may include a pair of transfer guideways separated by a single center rail and having a receiving guideway formed at each end of an elongated base plate to which the single center guide rail is secured.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of a riveting apparatus forming a specific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, front elevation of an apparatus forming one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, top plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, and v Fig. 4 is a front elevation shown in partial section of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, fixtures for carrying base plates 11 are mounted slidably in guideways 12 and 13 by bearing units 14, which are secured in corner bores 190i a base 15 by cap screws 16 in positions in which balls 17 mounted rotatably in sleeves 18 of the units 14 project below the base 15 and mount the fixtures 10 for movement in any direction on the guideways. Set screws 21 rigidly connect the sleeves 18 to the base 15. The fixtures 10 also are provided with riveting anvils 22 spaced on the fixtures in positions close to one another in two predetermined, overlapping patterns, and well known clamps 23 are provided for clamping the base 11 and mounting brackets 24 in precise positions on the anvils 22 and on the fixtures 10.

Riveting units 25 of a well known type are mounted in a cluster 27 and have riveting tools 26 in. predetermined patterns at the lefthand end of the guideway 12, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, and similarly, riveting units 29 identical with the units 25 are mounted in a cluster 28 positioning riveting tools 30 in a predetermined pattern at the righthand end of the guideway 12.

Guideways 12 and 13 are separated by a rail 40 having oppositely beveled ends 42 and 43. This rail 40 is secured to a base plate 44 and is positioned equidis- "11 on the riveting anvils 22 and. an adjustment screw support 31. This operator then moves the fixture to the left from position A? to a storage position .B. The beveled end 43 of the rail 40 functions to guide the fixtureinto guideway 13 between the rails 40 and 47. A

second operator at a second loading position designated by the letter C pulls the fixture to position C, places the brackets 24 on the base plate 11 and clamps them in place by means of the clamps 23. The second operator then pushes the fixture from position C through a precisely located guideway 35 to a work position designated by the letter D. 'As this fixture comes to precise position for riveting operations thereon, it actuates a limit switch (not shown) at the lefthand end of the work position to cause the riveting heads to push the tools 26 down into riveting engagement with those of the rivets on the anvils 22 directly under the tools 26. This operation effects riveting of about one-half the rivets on the anvils 22. The second operator'then moves the carriage 10 from position D" to a storage position designated by the letter E. In this instance the beveled end 42 functions to guide the fixture between rails 40 and 46 thereby precluding interference with the fixtures tantly from a pair of outer guide rails 46 and 47 that positioned in guideway 13.

Meanwhile, the operator near position A pulls one of the fixtures 10 at position E toward the right and into a guideway 41 to a work position F under riveting heads 29, which have the tools 30 directly over those of the anvils 22 having unriveted rivets thereon, and as the fixture 10 so moves it comes into precise riveting position which actuates a microswitch (not shown) which actuates the heads 29 to effect the riveting on the anvil 22 directly under the tools 30. Then this operator pulls the fixture to the left from position F and moves it to position A for unloading and reloading operations.

By the arrangement described hereinabove, the large number of closely spaced rivets may be rapidly riveted by a single machine with only two locations of the anvil fixture'10, and the production and output of the apparatus is very high.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrahgements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope. thereof.

What is claimed is:

A guideway system for mobile rectangular work-holding fixtures comprising an elongated base plate having a wide center section and narrow oppositely disposed end portions, a first substantially straight guide rail secured to said base plate along one longitudinal extremity thereof, a second guide rail secured to and complementing the opposite longitudinal extremity of said base plate, said second guide rail having one end section thereof formed in a right angle and the other end section formed in an obtuse angle, said angles being defined relative to the oppositely disposed linear end portions of said second guide rail and having the vertices thereof joined by a portion of said second guide rail parallel to said first guide rail, said straight and linear end portions of said first and second guide rails converging at the narrow oppositely disposed end portions of said base plate to provide a .pair of receiving guideways of sufiicient width to permit only one fixture at a time to be advanced lengthwise thereto and positioned therein, and a single center rail secured to said base plate at the wide center section thereof equidistant from said outer rails to provide a pair of transfer guideways of sufiicient width to permit only one fixture at a time to be advanced lengthwise therethrough, said center rail having oppd sitely disposed ends beveled in a single direction so as to be parallel to each other and being positioned on said base plate so that each of said oppositely disposed beveled ends is situated a distance equivalent to the length of one of said work-holding fixtures from the vertices of said right and said obtuse angles, said outer guide rails being cooperable with a, fixture from one of said a receiving 'guideways to guide said fixture into one of 'said transfer 'guideways, each entrance of said transfer guideway being .defined by one of said beveled ends of Said center rail and said outer. guide rails.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Ferguson June 11, Way Oct. 9, Havener Nov. 1, Christie 'eta'l; Feb. 12, Porfido Mar. 28, Havener Mar. 30, Bloomfield May 4, 'Oxley et a1, Aug. '8, Spindler et a1 Sept. 13, 

